Half to gregori benicii



a e h s t e e h S R E M O G m N O M W J (No Model.)

BICYCLE.

No. 438,935. Patented 001;.21, 1890.

INVENTOI? W 8) WITNESSES. flaw Y A77'0RNEYS (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 2.

J. W. MONTGOMERY.

BICYCLE.

No. 438,936. Patented Oct. 21, 1890.

W/ TN E SSE S L a I. f BK g r V u WV g Q ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

JAMES \VARREN MONTGOMERY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO GREGORI BENICH, OF SAME PLACE.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,935, dated October 21, 1890.

Application filed March 11,1890. Serial No. 343,455. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES WARREN MONT- GOMERY, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and 5 useful Improvement in Bicycles, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention is an improvement in the class of velocipedes having toggle-levers for rotating the cranks of the driving-wheel.

[O The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Referenceis to be had to the accompanying I 5 drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete bicycle. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of'the brake. ing mechanism of the bicycle, and likewise the seat-support, illustrating the hub of the wheel only. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section 2 5 taken through the upper portion of the frame, illustrating the driving mechanism and the major portion of the frame in plan; and Fig. 5 is a detail View illustrating the construction of the wheel.

0 The main or drive wheel A is journaled between the rear ends of longitudinal side bars 10, which side bars are made to approach each other at their forward ends, and are rigidly attached to a front bar 11.

Between the side bars 10 upon the front bar 11 a sleeve 12 is attached, in which the steering-rod 13 is held to turn, the said rod being provided with a bifurcated lower end 14, in the members of which bifurcated lower end the steering-wheel A is journaled. It will be observed that the position of the wheels, and likewise the position of the steering-rod 13, is very similar to the machines known as the Star machine.

At or near the center of each side bar 10 of theframe an upright 15 is secured, the said uprights being in line with each other and converging slightly. The upper ends, 110wever, are brought nearly together above the wheel, and between the said upper ends a Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the driv sleeve 16 is secured, in which the upper extremity of the steering-rod 13 is held to turn.

The drive-wheel A is provided at each side of its hub with a crank-arm 17, which crankarms are diametrically opposite one to the other.

From the rear ends of the side bars 10 bracebars 18 are upwardly and forwardlyprojected, the upper ends of which brace-bars are attached to the upper extremities of the front uprights 15. Upon the inclined brace-bars 18, at their outer faces and near their lower ends, a leaf-spring 19 is centrally secured. The forward ends of the said springs are attached to the lower portion of the front uprights 15, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The attached ends of the springs may be adjusted upon the uprights 15, as the latter are provided with a series of apertures 20, capable of receiving the bolts attaching the springs, and this adjustment is provided in order to accommodate riders of different weights, as the saddle is supported upon said springs, as will be hereinafter described.

To the rear end of each spring 19 a rear up right 21 is secured, and to the upper extremities of the rear uprights 21, and likewise to the upper ends of the front uprights 15, the extremities of a saddle-frame 22 are secured, which saddle-frame consists of two downward- 8o ly-curved bars a, connected at the rear by a rod to and near the front by a similar rod (L as best shown in Fig. 4. Each bar a of the saddle-frame, upon its under edge and near the front, is provided with a downwardly-pro- 8 5 jecting lug or stop 23, the said lugs or stops being so located that when the rider is subjected to a sudden jar and undue pressure is brought to bear upon the spring the saddleframe will not contact with the peripheral 0 frame of the drive-wheel, as the lugs 23 will bebrought into engagement with the diagonal brace-bars 18, which will limit the downward movement of the saddle-frame.

The drive-wheel A in its revolution passes between the front and rear uprights 15 and 21 and the diagonal brace-bars 18 and below the saddle-frame 22.

The saddle 24., which may be of any approved constrnction, is secured to the strap I00 or belt 25, which strap or belt is made to pass over the rods a and a of the saddle-frame between the side bars of said frame, the said strap having its ends adjustably connected, whereby it partakes of the form of an endless belt. Proper tension is exerted upon the belt, and the said belt may be shifted upon the saddle-frame, carrying the saddle in the direction of the rear or to the front, as the rider may desire.

The brake B is of peculiar construction, and consists of a shoe 26, adapted for contact with the periphery of the tire 2'7 of the wheel, the said shoe having attached .thereto or formed integral therewith an essentially U- shaped shank 28, which U-shaped shank at its bow-section is pivoted over the tire between the upper ends of the diagonal bracebars 18, and the upper member of the said U-shaped shank is provided with an eye 29, through which the steering-rod 13 passes. The said upper member of the brake-shank is made to bear upon a spring 30, coiled around the steering-rod 13 and having a bearing at its lower end upon a collar 31, formed upon said rod, as is best illustrated in Fig. 1.

Upon the steering-rod immediately above the eye 29 of the brake-shank a collar 32 is located, which collar has extended upward from the right-hand side an arm 33, and to said arm the inner end of a lever 34 is -pivotally attached, which lever is fulcrum ed at or near its center beneath the right-hand member of the steering-handle 35 on an arm 34, which is in turn pivoted on the handle. Thus the rider is enabled to grasp with his right hand the right-hand member of the steeringhandle and the outer extremity of the lever 34, and by drawing the said lever upward in the direction of the handle the brake is immediately applied to the tire of the wheel, as the collar upon the arm 33 presses downward the upper member of the shank of the brake against the pressure of the spring 30, thereby compelling the shoe to contact firmly with the tire of the wheel. As soon as the lever 34'is released, the spring 30 acts to restore the brake-shank to its normal position and remove the brake-shoe from engagement with the wheel.

' The driving mechanism of the machine con- 'sists, primarily, of two toggle-levers D, one being located at each side of the machine and attached at one end to one of the crankarms 17 of the wheel and at the opposite end to the forward portion of the frame. .The toggle-levers are identical in construction, and consist of a forward member 36, preferably rectangular in cross-section, anda shorter rear member 37.

The manner of attaching the forward members 36 of the toggle-levers to the frame is as follows: A sleeve 38 is held to turn upon each end of the front bar 11 of the frame, and a rearwardly-extending bar 39 is formed integral with or attached to each of the said sleeves 38, which bars are rectangular in cross-section and are provided at their rear ends with a guide-loop 40. The members 36 of the toggle-levers pass through the said guide-loops 40 and are provided at their front extremities with similar loops 41, which embrace the bars 39, whereby the said members 36 may be adjusted upon the bars 39 to provide for any wear that may take place at the toggle-joint. The bars 39 and the members 36 of the toggle-levers are held in secure engagement by spring-pawls 42, which are preferably formed integral with the loops 41 of the toggle-levers, and the rear ends of the pawls are adapted to fit in a slot formed in the upper edge of the members 36 of the toggle-levers and in one of a series of slots 43, produced in the upper edgeofthe bars 39. Near the toggle-joint the members 36 of the toggle-levers are provided with a series of notches 44 upon their under edges, as best shown in Fig. 3, adapted for a purpose to be hereinafter stated. A downwardly-extendin g stirrup 44 is pivoted at the toggle-joint of each of the toggle-levers E, which stirrups are provided with vertically-ad j ustable pins 45. The

stirrups are adapted to support the rear portions of the pedal-levers E. The pedal-levers are made somewhat S shape in general contour, and from the rear extremity of the body of the levers a horizontal arm is outwardly projected, constituting pedals 46, the upper face of which pedals may be covered with rubber or other suitable material.

In the forward end of each pedal-lever an eye 6 is formed, whereby the said levers may be made to slide upon the members 36 of the toggle-levers D, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and to the forward portion of each of the pedal-levers a spring-pawl 47 is secured, the said spring-pawls being adapted to enter the notches 44 in the toggle-levers heretofore alluded to, and in the lower rear edge of each of the toggle-levers a series of notches 48 is produced adapted to receive the pins 45 of the stirrups 44. It will thus be observed that the pedal-levers are capable of both lateral and vertical adjustment, the vertical adjustment being provided so that the pedals may be carried upward or downward to accommodate the length of limb of .the rider; and by the lateral adjustment it is purposed to regulate the speed, as when the pedal-levers are slipped backward the power is increased and the stroke lengthened, the reverse being true when the said pedal-levers are carried in the direction of the front of the machine.

The step 49, employed in mounting the machine, is projected downward from the rear end of the left-hand side beam 10 of the frame, and immediately in front of the forward uprights 15, upon each side beam 10 of the frame, a horizontal platform or stop-plate 50 is constructed, which stop-plates extend outward and are covered with an elastic material, the purpose of these plates being to limit the downward movement of the togglelevers, as when the pedals are in their lowest position the under edge of the member 36 of the toggle-lever with which the pedal-lever is connected will practically engage with the elastic upper face of the plate immediately below it and thus the rider cannot under anypossibility, force the pedal farther downward than it is intended to go.

I will briefly describe the construction of the wheels, although not here claimed. The hubs 51 thereof are provided with a series of headed pins 52, circularly arranged, as shown in Fig. 5, and the spokes 53 consist of two or more strands of stout steel wire twisted upon themselves to form, as it were, a single cable, and in the upper end of each spoke a loop 54 is formed adapted for contact with one of the pins 52. The outer end of each spoke is threaded. The felly 55 of the wheel is U- shaped in cross-section and provided at proper intervals with a series of headed nu s 56, which are projected from the outer face of the felly inward in the direction of the hub, the bore of said nuts being made to extend entirely through them, and their heads are made to conform to the outer concavityof the felly. A nut is employed for each spoke, and the threaded ends of the spokes are screwed into said nuts, and by means of a proper wrench the nuts are manipulated from the outer side of the felly until the spokes have been brought to the proper tension. The tire 27, employed in connection with the wheel, consists of rubber tubing of suitable thickness containing a coil-spring 57, extending its entire length, and through the coil of the spring a stout cable 58 is passed, which is preferably made up of two or more twisted strands of steel wire. The ends of the cable 58 are threaded and made to enter opposite ends of a right and left hand nut 59, the said nutbeing preferably octagonal, and by manipulating the nut the wire cable is drawn sufticiently tight to cause the tire to closely hug and be securely attached within the outer concaved periphery of the felly. By fitting the tire thus snugly the nuts 56 are prevented from being turned. The spring adds elasticity to the tire, and, furthermore, prevents the tubing from caving or being pressed inward when the tire contacts with the ground. It will be observed that the tire is not cemented to the folly, but is simply held in ongagement therewith by the cable heretofore referred to. The formation of the tire is completed by drawing the ends of the, tubing together and cementing them after proper tension has been brought to bear upon the cable.

The frame of the bicycle instead of being solid bars, as described and shown, may be made hollow, and the number of pieces employed may be more than illustrated.

By reason of the toggle-connection between the cranks of the drive-wheel and the frame of the machine great speed may be attained and simple mechanism employed.

Each and every part of the machine is accessible for purposes of repair, oiling, dcc, and but few parts are needed in the construction of the machine, whereby it is rendered exceedingly simple; yet the several parts are so formed and combined as to provide for a maximum degree of strength.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a bicycle, the combination, with the drive-wheel frame, cranks, and toggle-levers pivotally connected with the frame and cranks, of stirrups pivoted to and pendent from the point of the toggle-levers, and pedals hung in said stirrups and adapted for vertical adjustment, as shown and described.

2. In a bicycle, the combination, with the cranks of the drive-wheel and the frame in which said wheel turns, of toggle-levers having one member attached to said cranks and the other member provided with an adj ustable pivotal connection with the frame, a stirrup projected downward from thetoggle-joint of each toggle-lever, and a pedal-lever held to slide upon one member of each toggle-lever and having adjustable support in the said stirrups, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

3. In a bicycle, the combination, with the cranks of the drive-wheel and the frame in which the wheel turns, of toggle-levers connecting the crank and the frame, foot-pedals attached to the said levers, and stop-plates attached to the frame and extending outward beneath the said levers, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a bicycle, the combination, with the frame thereof and the drive-wheel, of a horizontal spring located at each side of the drivewheel and attached near its center and at its forward ends to the frame, and a seat-frame supported upon the said springs, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

5. In a bicycle, the combination, with the drive-Wheel, the horizontal frame in which said wheel turns, uprights attached to the horizontal frame near the front and extending upward over the wheel, and inwardly-im clined brace-bars also attached to the frame and to the forward uprights, of a horizontal spring located at each side of the wheel and secured to the inclined braces and the front uprights, upwardly-extending bars attached to the rear free ends of the springs, and a seat frame attached to the upper end of the rear bars or uprights and the forward uprights, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

. 6. In a bicycle, the combination, with the drive-wheel, the horizontal frame in which said wheel turns, uprights attached to the horizontal frame near the front and extending upward over the wheel, and forwardlyinclined brace-bars also attached to the frame and to the forward uprights, of a horizontal spring located at each side of the Wheel and secured to the inclined braces and the front uprights, upwardly-extending bars attached to the rear free ends of the springs, a seatframe attached to the upper end of the rear bars or uprights and the forward uprights, and stop-lugs attached to the under edge of the seat-frame and adapted for contact with the upper ends of the braces, as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a bicycle, the combination, with the drive-wheel, the horizontal frame in which said wheel turns, uprights attached to the horizontal frame near the front and extending upward over the wheel, and forwardlyinclined brace-bars alsoattached to the frame and to the forward uprights, of a horizontal spring located at each side of the wheel and secured to the inclined braces and the front uprights, upwardly-extending bars attached to the rear free ends of the springs, a seatframe attached to the upper end of the rear bars or uprights and the forward uprights, stop-lugs attached to the under edge of the seat-frame and adapted for contact with the upper ends of the braces, an endless belt adjustably located upon the seat-frame, and a saddle attached to the said belt, as and for the purpose specified. 1

JAMES WARREN MONTGOMERY.

Witnesses:

WM. F. BRENNAN, J. Q. JAoKs. 

